Saturday, December 19, 2009

Update as of Late Saturday Morning

Update from Sue:

We went to the woods where we set up the feeding station before sunrise around 6:30 am this morning. Tundie had found the found and devoured it but was already on the move -- probably since early move since there was around three inches of snow recovering the site by the time we got there.

We followed his trail through the snow down Herndon Parkway, right on Van Buren cutting through Haley Smith Park left on Alabama and lost it around Patrick.

At 9 am we had a sighting on April Street off Summerfield on the other side of the parkway headed in Elden Street.

We tried to pick up his trail but there are too many people out and about now to distinguish his tracks. He is covering a lot of ground quickly but he is marking his path -- made it easy to follow him as far as Alabama this morning.

We also backtracked him along Sugarland Trail to the Stuart Professional Office Park off Elden Street possibly he has found some place to sleep in that area the past few nights.

We did refill the feeding station but by evening the woods and trail will be shoulder deep for him. The most optimistic news is that he has been forced into a new more public route; he appears to be traveling through neighborhoods along the Herndon Parkway Loop and he is marking the trail. He is following roads but traffic is very light and will become lighter as this weather continues -- and Herndon does keep its main road plowed so he be able to travel freely rather than exhaust himself breaking through verry deep snowsmelf. The bad news is that the snow is wet and accumulating quickly and he will have slow down and seek shelter at some point -- there is lots vailable on his route if he will only avail himself of it -- enclosed parking garages, new housing construction with open access, etc.

I would like to get some food out front to keep him out of the woods if possible - lots of invisible snow covered ravines, and brush pits he could fall into and not get out of!  For anyone that can help with settin gup and maintaining feeding stations, here are some locations that we think would be good:
  • the entrance to Haley Smith Park on Van Buren;
  • in front of ther Montessori School on Alabama,
  • in front of the Police Station and National Realty Partners (building next to the police station complex on Herndon Parkway, also backs on the woods and he has been seen roaming there)
And this is the area of focus for flyers, businesses and neighborhoods, once the snow lets up. If you can help, please leave a comment.

Check back for more updates as they come!